


Closer

by Phoebe_Snow



Series: If Amber is Your Soul, Then Baby, I'm Drowning In It [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cute, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Imagine your OTP, Kissing, Let's be honest, Love Confessions, Love Stories, Morning Cuddles, Relationship(s), Romance, Romantic Fluff, but that's a good thing, perhaps a bit OOC but well worth it, your nose may bleed because of the fluff in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 09:44:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12105999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebe_Snow/pseuds/Phoebe_Snow
Summary: Molly and Sherlock express their true feelings for each other.Direct sequel to Taking Care.





	Closer

**Author's Note:**

> Because my muse was screaming for a sequel and some of my readers felt the same way.

* * *

 

Molly stirred in bed and slowly, but surely, her eyes fluttered open. She'd been sleeping on the right side of her bed, cheek resting against her palm. A yawn left her mouth and she stretched, effectively smacking the person who lie next to her in the face.

"Ow," said a familiar baritone voice.

The pounding of Molly's heart slowed and she reached out to touch the cheek she'd accidentally struck. "Oh! Sherlock, I'm so sorry. I didn't notice you there."

Those familiar blue-green eyes opened to look at her in mild exasperation. "I told you I'd be keeping you company for the remainder of the night." And he'd also been awake for the past half hour, just watching the rise and fall of her chest as she slept. Sherlock decided that he liked watching Molly sleep.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, when you told me that, I had just finished eating and was already sleepy. You could have said that you were running away to join the circus and I still wouldn't have remembered."

Sherlock snorted derisively, but smiled as well. "I'd have to be mad to join the circus, but you have a point. I can concede to that."

"How kind," the pathologist said cheerfully. Her eyes locked onto the planes of his cheeks.

_Mm, your cheekbones looked like they were chiselled from marble._

"Now that's a unique way to flirt," Sherlock said with a chuckle.

Molly's hand stilled. Damn. Had she actually said that out loud? She cleared her throat and tried not to look into Sherlock's piercing and deliciously intimate gaze. How was it that she felt like he was staring right into her soul, like she were as transparent as glass?

Awkwardly, she jerked her hand away from him and sat up. "I-I have to brush." Then she scrambled out of bed - nearly falling on her arse because her ankle was tangled in the sheet - and hurried to the safety of her bathroom.

Of course, she hadn't intended to brush her teeth; she just needed to get away from the intensity of Sherlock's stare. The brunette picked up her toothbrush, squirted a tiny bead of paste on the bristles and began to clean her teeth.

As Molly brushed, she noticed that the weariness in her limbs was gone and her body felt lighter. The tea and soup she had yesterday helped get rid of her cold, which was good, but that wasn't at the forefront of her mind. As she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, memories of yesterday came back to her and she could almost feel the gentle pressure of Sherlock's lips on her forehead.

He said that he was fond of her, _too_. Sherlock knew of her feelings for him and reciprocated them, but in what way? _Fond_ wasn't a substitute for madly in love. For Molly, her feelings about Sherlock were far from a simple crush. The affection she had for him ran deep.

Today was different than yesterday. Molly could tell that she was feeling much better and more clear headed. How would their relationship change due to the events of last night? They had slept next to each other, but what did that mean to Sherlock? Would he take back what he said last night or avoid it as if it never happened?

A knock on the bathroom door shook Molly out of her reverie. "Molly? Are you alright? You've been in there for a bit."

She spat the white foam in the sink, rinsed her mouth and her toothbrush quickly. "Uh, yeah. I just...needed to think."

"About?"

"Don't play coy, Sherlock. You already know."

There was a beat of silence on the other side of the door. Molly's breathing was heavy and she closed her eyes for a few seconds. She opened the door, walked to the bed and sat down on it, gesturing for him to do the same.

It was difficult to get the words out, given that she was so nervous, but Molly was determined to clear the air between them. Although, before she could even say one word, Sherlock beat her to the punch.

He looked so unsure of himself and just as nervous as she did. "Molly, you, of all people, know that I'm not...adept in matters of the heart. But lately, I've just been thinking about the people whose presence has significant importance in my life. I have John, Mary, Mrs. Hudson, even Mycroft, but you are the one who matters the most."

Molly felt butterflies in her stomach. "I am?"

"Yes. You are worth far more to me than just as an aid for my detective work or my contact of access to the pathology lab at St. Bart's." He furrowed his brow and took her hand in his, feeling how soft and tiny it was against his larger one.

Molly wanted so badly to speak, but she had a feeling that whatever Sherlock was telling her was very important. So, she kept her lips pressed together and waited for him to continue.

"I know that I have taken advantage of our relationship, belittled you, embarrassed you and treated you as if you weren't an equal. I am sorry for that. You deserve much better than me." Sherlock's head was drooped and he didn't meet her eyes, so she held his chin up, forcing him to look at her.

"Sherlock...are you saying that you care about me as _more_ than a friend?"

"Yes. Ever since that Christmas party, there has been a change in the air between us. After I deduced you" - he cringed here - "I realised that you had feelings for me and I'd truly hurt you. I felt terrible about it and that rarely happens. Guilt is not something I experience often, but I felt it that night."

"When you let me stay here after you helped me fake my death, I began to feel...comfortable being around you. Your quirks, your smiles, your idiosyncrasies, watching you in the privacy of your own home gave me insight into who you are as a person and I liked what I saw. I still do."

Tears filled Molly's eyes and a few slid down her cheeks.

"Anyone would say that you can do better and it's true. I **don't** deserve you...but I _need_ you, and I don't need anyone."

The gravity of what he'd said had not been lost on Molly. Sherlock Holmes, the man who prided himself on staying free of emotional attachments and preferred the coldness of logic over affection needed her? Hearing him say the words hit Molly so hard that she started sobbing.

"Y-you mean..."

A gentle smile spread on Sherlock's face and he took her face in his slender hands, drawing them so close that their noses nearly touched. "I'm saying that I love you, Molly Hooper."

The pathologist gasped and threw her arms around the man in front of her, clutching his shoulders tightly. "Oh, Sherlock!" Molly laughed as tears ran down her face and she tugged him down to the comforter, kissing him passionately.

Instinctively, Sherlock cradled her in his embrace and responded enthusiastically to her kisses. Eventually, they had to pull back to breathe, but neither moved completely out of the other's reach. Molly stayed in Sherlock's arms, her back against his warm chest, their fingers entwined. Quietly, but audibly, she said, "I love you," back and he tenderly kissed her neck in response.

It had taken Molly and Sherlock a long time to get here, so they were going to enjoy every minute they could have together. After all, they were due.

 

**Author's Note:**

> There will be one more addition to this series, ;)
> 
> Comments and kudos are love!


End file.
